01/31/2011

45 Uses for Toothpaste

To the joy of millions of dentists, for most of us, toothpaste is for brushing our teeth - period. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that few of us have ever even thought of using it for anything else. For the select few, however, toothpaste is more than just a chopper polish - it's an affordable and handy way to clean, cleanse and clarify just about everything, including the kitchen sink.

I scoured the Net to see what the wonderfully innovative members of humanity came up with as uses for this minty dentrifice and was surprised, amused and throughly entertained by the results. Please note that, unless otherwise mentioned, all of these uses apply to simple, old fashioned, white paste toothpaste. Gel pastes do not work the same and whitening formulas may contain bleach. It should also be noted that, in many cases, baking soda will work just as well, but that's a topic for another blog :).

1. Relieve irritation from bug bites, sores, minor rashes, cold sores and blisters. These skin irritations tend to weep and, in the case of bug bites, often itch. Apply a drop of toothpaste to a bug bite or insect sting to stop the itching and decrease any swelling. When applied to sores or blisters, it dries them up, thus allowing the wound to heal faster. It’s best when used overnight.

2. Soothe a stinging burn. For minor burns that don’t involve an open wound, toothpaste can deliver temporary cooling relief. The next time you burn yourself on the stove or a hot pan, plunge the affected area under luke warm water to bring down the skin's temperature. After the acute phase is over (the agony), smear a thick coat of non-gel toothpaste over the burn and leave it there until the skin is completely cool and the sting is gone. If done properly, it will also prevent the wound from weeping or opening. Finally, apply a healing agent, such as aloe vera.

3. Shrink facial blemishes. Apply a tiny dot of toothpaste to the affected area at night, before bed. Wash it off in the morning.

4. Clean up your fingernails. For cleaner, shinier, and stronger nails, simply scrub the underneath and tops of fingernails with a toothbrush and toothpaste. If you have dry, brittle nails, then this may not be a good idea. Discontinue use if you notice a drying of the tips or around the cuticle area.

5. Keep hair in place. Gel toothpastes contain the same water-soluble polymers that many hair gels are made of. If you’re looking to style and hold an extreme hair creation and you're out of hair gel, try gel toothpaste as your go-to product. This is also a great trick for making baby barrettes stay in place or for adhering tiny ribbons to a baby girl's head. (LOL Sorry, that's just funny.) If you choose to do this, be on the look out for signs of irritation. If there is even the slightest reddening of baby's skin, discontinue use and try corn syrup or honey instead.

6. You can use a little toothpaste to rub beach tar off of your feet. (Ick!) When I was growing up I used to get road tar on my feet from running around my neighborhood barefoot in the summer. It works for removing that too.

7. Apply toothpaste to poison ivy or poison oak and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Rinse with ice cold, soapy water. Repeat twice daily until the rash is gone.

9. Bruises: Before heading off to bed, apply a mixture of toothpaste and skin lotion to the bruise and wrap it in an ace bandage or a band-aid to keep the sheets clean. Wash the paste off in the morning and reapply for two or three nights. Bruises that normally take a week or two to fade disappear much faster.

10. Get gum out of hair. Spread toothpaste over the gum in your child's hair on their clothing and let it sit. It breaks down the sugar in the gum loosening it's grip and causing it to come right out.

11. Help with a hair color mistake. You can use a small dab of white toothpaste to scrub away any stains along the hairline and eartips.

12. Use as a refreshing body scrub and facial cleanser. Toothpaste has a drying effect, so, if you have dry skin to begin with, you may want to either mix it into your usual body wash, follow up with a moisturizer, wash with your usual cleanser afterwards, or just skip on this altogether :).

13. Descuffing linoleum. Use toothpaste and a dry cloth to scrub scuff marks away. Keep scrubbing until no residue remains, then rinse.

14. Remove stains. Toothpaste can make tough stains on carpets and upholstery disappear. For carpet stains, apply toothpaste to the stain and scrub it with an abrasive brush, then rinse immediately. Works especially well on ink, lipstick and grass stains. Note that using a whitening toothpaste on colors can sometimes bleach the fabric.

15. Remove crayon stains from painted walls. Gently rub a damp cloth with toothpaste on the marked-up wall and watch the crayon marks disappear. Note: Toothpaste should be safe for your paint and is in most cases. However, it is best to test a small area in an area of your wall that isn't noticeable before using it on a larger spot, just in case. Apply the toothpaste just as you would to remove the crayon, then let it sit for 24 hours. Check back for potential problems with paint, if there are none, then it's safe to use it for removing the crayon stains.

16. Make silver jewelry and other silver pieces sparkle. Rub toothpaste onto jewelry and leave overnight. Wipe clean with a soft cloth in the morning. Make diamonds shine by giving them a gentle scrub using a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a little water. Rinse thoroughly to remove all traces of toothpaste. Do not use this method on pearls, as it will damage their finish. I also came across a post from a jeweler who said that overtime this can remove the protective finish from fine metals, so you may not want to do this too often.

17. Remove scratches from DVDs and CDs. This remedy has been used with mixed success rates, but it seems to work fairly well on shallow scratches and smudges. Apply a thin coating of toothpaste to the disc and stroke gently from the inside of the disc to the outer edges, then rinse clean. Test the results. Repeat, if needed. When rubbing, always move from the inside of the disc to the edges, in straight lines. Do Not rub back and forth, use circular motions or rub round-wise. This could erase the data that is on the disc.

18. Tidy up piano keys before tickling them. Piano keys retain oil from the skin, which then attracts dust and dirt. Clean away grime gently with a damp, lint-free cloth and toothpaste; after rubbing in the toothpaste, wipe the keys clean with a second lint-free cloth.

19. Deodorize baby bottles. If baby bottles develop a sour-milk smell, a good cleaning with some toothpaste and a bottle scrubber will clean away residue and deodorize. Always make sure to rinse well, since swallowing fluoride can be harmful.

20. Remove the burned crust on clothes and hair irons. For those of you who use irons of any sort, you may notice that, after time, the silver plate of the iron will develop a brown crust-like coating. This comes from spray starch, mousse, and other chemicals that you apply to the things that you use irons on. The silica in toothpaste gently grinds away this layer of residue.

21. De-fog goggles. Scuba divers, swimmers, and triathletes may already know about this handy little trick: Rub a small spot of toothpaste into each lens of your goggles, then rinse thoroughly to defog. Avoid rubbing too vigorously, though, as the abrasive ingredients in toothpaste could scratch the lenses. This will also work on bathroom mirrors, hard contac lenses, and eye glasses.

22. Use toothpaste to polish a flute or other metal instrument. A little toothpaste on a rag really gets it shining; follow that with a damp rag to get any toothpaste residue off and then use a dry rag to buff. Because of the contact with your mouth, it is a safer alternative to toxic polishes. Unlike jewelry, I found no mention of a protective finish to worry about removing and the flutist who posted this implied that she'd been doing it for a long time.

23. Toothpaste is also good to fill in holes where you had pictures hanging on the wall. If you have white walls, white paste toothpastes are perfect for filling in the small holes left behind by removed nails. You can use it on white woodwork as well. It can cause problems when repainting, though, since some paints won't stick to the toothpaste, so use sparingly.

24. Polish chrome. Rub the toothpaste onto the chrome, rinse, and buff with a soft cloth.

25. Scratches on leather. You can use toothpaste to remove scratches on leather. Use a dab of toothpaste and a soft cloth to rub it clean, wipe with a damp cloth and the scuffs will disappear.

26. You can remove watermarks from your furniture with a little toothpaste. Gently rub the watermark with toothpaste using a soft cloth, and wipe it off with a damp cloth, let it dry and apply a furniture polish.

27. Sink and drain. Rub your toothpaste around the bowl of think sink and rinse it away so that you can freshen the drain and prevent stale smells.

28. Plastic bottles and boxes (think storage containers and water bottles). When stored closed they can start to smell, so brush them with a little toothpaste, let sit for a few minutes, and then rinse to wash the smell and all of the toothpaste away. Then store them with their lids off so you don't have the problem again :).

29. Freshen your car. Squeeze a little toothpaste on a paper towel and fold it up. Place the folded paper towel underneath the seat of your car when in the sun, and when heated the toothpaste will release a minty smell to your vehicle. Replace as needed.

30. The dings and scratches sustained by headlight glass diffuses the light and makes it harder to see. Eliminate this haze by thoroughly cleaning the headlight, then rubbing in a glob of toothpaste. Follow up with a good buffing to even out the glass, either by hand or with the buffer on an electric drill.

31. Clean cell phone screens. Unprotected mobile-phone screens become scratched to heck over time. Lightly rub the screen with a touch of toothpaste and your finger. Rinse with a damp cloth and dry. This also works on watch crystals and eyeglass lenses (or any other glass surface, for that matter).

32. Plastic patio furniture. Remove stubborn stains with a bit of elbow grease, a brush and a mixture of toothpaste and water. Use a whitening paste on white furniture for a gleaming result.

33. Bathroom sinks. Next time you drop a glop of toothpaste into the sink, don't rinse it down, scrub it around. The natural abrasive works like other cleansers and deodorizes the drain at the same time.

34. Refrigerator seals. Toothbrushes are the perfect size for cleaning refrigerator seals and toothpaste is perfect for whitening those seals. In other words, altogether a perfect combo.

35. Shower doors. Dampen a sponge and smear it with a bit of whitening toothpaste. Clean the shower doorswith a circular motion and allow time for the active ingredients to work on the soap scum. Rinse thoroughly and you'll be able to see through your doors once again.

36. Remove Kool-Aid® stains. A dab of toothpaste on a damp paper towel cleans up stubborn Kool-Aid® stains off of skin and counter tops.

LAUNDRY39. Stain removal. Although it doesn't work well on all fabrics and stains, you can scrub using an abrasive brush and toothpaste, rinse, and the stain will come right out. If the stain doesn't come completely out, you should repeat until it does. Toothpaste works best on ink, lipstick and grass stains.

40. Spruce up dirty shoes. This tactic works great on running shoes or scuffed-up leather shoes. As with carpet stains, apply toothpaste directly to the dirty or scuffed area, then scrub with a brush and wipe clean. and even to clean the shoelaces themselves (wet the shoelaces and then scrub the toothpaste in with the toothbrush - then rinse).

OTHER USES41. Poster adhesive. You can hang pictures on the wall without tape. Just dab a little bit of toothpaste on the corners of the poster and in-between the edges. When you're ready to remove the poster, it's easy to remove, and if you have any toothpaste remnants on the wall, just use a damp cloth to wipe it away. Don’t use it for collector posters; it might damage the poster over time.

42. Auto scratches. Much cheaper than expensive scratch removers, toothpaste can smooth over minor damage for mere pennies. Apply a dab of toothpaste to a damp sponge and rub with a circular motion. Wipe dry with a soft cloth. Just make sure you don't rub too hard or you'll damage the paint job.

43. Horse bits. A bit is the mouth piece attached to a horse harness, which gathers much gunk, slobber and grass stains. The mild abrasive in toothpaste cleans all this crap off while shining the metal, including the copper rings. Make sure you rinse thoroughly - fluoride is poisonous.

44. Skunk-spray deodorizer. Next time you or your dog get into a battle with a skunk, get wet, rub toothpaste all over, leave on for several minutes and rinse thoroughly. The fluoride will soak up a majority of the stench. Since tomato juice does the same, maybe combining the two would be even more effective. Here's hoping you never have to find out - eesh!

45. Clean die-cast collectibles. Hobbyists who collect and build model cars, robots and action figures can certainly use toothpaste to make them nice and shiny.

Just in case you're having a hard time trying all of these things with the toothpaste you have on hand, here are some suggestions to help you get through the list:

Get all the toothpaste that you paid for. When the tube is almost empty place in warm water for a few minutes while you shower. Lay it on the couter or on the edge of the sink, using your toothbrush handle push the warm toothpaste to the top of the tube. You can also cut the tube open, after you've squeezed out all you can, just to get every last drop.

Make your own toothpaste for making your teeth whiter. This is so easy and will save you money. Mix Baking Soda and Hydrogen Peroxide blend into a paste. Add a few drops of peppermint or spearmint extract to flavor to your desired taste. It will make your teeth sparkle and will help whiting them at the same time.